Vodka - Shaken not Stirred - Natural Lemon Peel Chicken Coop Cleaner

Did you know that household bleach can interact with the ammonia created by decomposing chicken feces and result in toxic gases building up in your coop? Don't despair though, there are common natural ingredients you can use that boast every bit of the antiseptic and cleaning power of bleach - without the fumes.

Last year we found ourselves at the forefront of a movement towards using natural vinegar/citrus-based cleaners for your coop instead of bleach. In fact, my 'recipe' for Orange Peel White Vinegar Cool Cleaner is one of our most-viewed blog posts ever - and variations have appeared subsequently on other blogs and even in Backyard Poultry magazine.

Lately it seems that vodka-based cleaners are all the rage. We're a bit late to this party it seems, but I was intrigued enough to give it a try and weigh in on it. But to back up a bit...recently we went to see the new James Bond movie.

It was excellent, but as I was watching, I found myself wishing the producers would include in one of the Bond movies a scene of Mr. Bond eating breakfast and requesting Marans eggs. In the original book series written by Ian Fleming, the Bond character would only eat eggs from French Marans chickens, believing them to be superior in quality and flavor. [Read more on Marans HERE...]

I only mention this because as Bond ordered his signature drink 'shaken not stirred' I was reminded that I really should be home working on this blog post, not lounging at the movies! (Kidding...but it sounded good, didn't it?) In reality, I lounge just as much as the next girl....but I digress.

I have been using my vinegar-based coop cleaning concoction for months now, and while I find it extremely effective, it takes awhile to 'age' and for the vinegar scent to dissipate (which it never really completely does and I find the vinegar scent, however fleeting, to be a bit off-putting.) Vodka on the other hand, widely used as a household cleaner, is odorless, nontoxic (at least in reasonable amounts!), inexpensive and extremely effective. It also can be used immediately since there is no odor to worry about.

After browsing Pinterest for inspiration, HERE, HERE and HERE, and deciding that the vodka wouldn't harm our chickens (since the vodka evaporates extremely quickly and there is no odor, that's a no-brainer, I just wouldn't allow them access while you are cleaning - which is good advice regardless of what you use to clean your coop), I decided to whip up a batch of vodka coop cleaner, incorporating the same ingredients I use in my vinegar cleaner but replacing the vinegar with vodka and switching out the orange peel for lemon peel.

The Ingredients

Vodka - insecticide, antibacterial, kills mold and mildew

Lemon Peel - solvent, insect repellent

Cinnamon stick - fragrant, kills mosquito larvae

Vanilla Bean - fragrant, insect repellent

Finding a partial bottle of vanilla vodka wedged in the back of our freezer, I decided to use that. I added the peel from one lemon, one split vanilla bean and one cinnamon stick for each pint canning jar and then added enough vodka to cover.

Although ready to use right away, I opted to let the mixture sit for a few days for the ingredients to mellow a bit and a deeper aroma to develop.

I left the jars on the counter and shook them up a few times a day.

I also mixed up a batch directly in a squirt bottle to use immediately.

The Verdict:

Several months ago, white vinegar cleaners were making their rounds of the internet, now it seems vodka is the new 'IT' cleaning ingredient. I, for one, am sold on it. I am heading out to buy the cheapest bottle of vodka I can find!

This vodka-based cleaner smells so nice. Also, in addition to being odorless, vodka actually kills bugs instead of just repelling them like vinegar does. It also cleans windows, stainless steel and granite. Our kitchen is now spotless. The cleaner works on bathroom tile, counters, tubs, showers and all other hard surfaces. In fact I just used some to clean the inside of my car windows.

I keep a bottle in the coop and one on the kitchen counter, shaking each up every few days to redistribute the contents. I have also been topping off the vodka as I use the spray and reusing the peels and spices. I'll keep doing that until it seems I'm ready for a whole new batch.

So from now on my coop cleaning products will be shaken - not stirred. Thank you 007 and Pinterest for the inspiration! [Cue Bond theme song and fade to black...]

I wonder how it would work in a dog bath for my little dog? It'd be a lot cheaper than the flea/tick medicine I buy for him. What about spraying it in the yard, think it'd work to eliminate or reduce ticks and such? Love your blog, you come up with some great ideas. I miss my chickens, but your blog helps. :-)

By letting the ingredients sit for a few days and shaking every day, what you just made was actually a weak tincture. :) Vodka (as well as everclear) is a solvent for medicinal components in herbs and spices. What that means is that the vodka "pulls" the medicinal compounds out of the plant material. 100-proof vodka is 50% alkahol and 50% water. Water is a solvent for nutritional properties and vodka is a solvent for medicinal properties. Either 100-proof or 80-proof vodka will work. Typically, you let the tincture sit for about 6 weeks, shaking every day for the first few weeks and then shaking whenever you think of it until the time is up. Then you can strain and use your tincture but adding a dropper-ful or two to a cup of water. Some tinctures can be used internally and some are better used externally (without diluting with water). Depending on what you wanted to treat, I'm guessing you could change the herbs to help with other chicken issues too. :)

It's good to know about the bleach and ammonia. I know better than to mix bleach and dish soap, but never thought about the gas in a chicken coop! Thanks for sharing this on The HomeAcre Hop! Hope to see you back on Thursday :)

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